2025/26 marks a century since the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden relocated from the center of the main Berkeley campus eastwards to Strawberry Canyon. This walk will visit places and plantings on the main campus that recall the history of both the early Botanical Garden and the early landscape character – both natural and human-created – of the campus.
The walk will finish at the Faculty Club, where the guide has organized a small exhibit of artworks showing the Botanical Garden and the campus landscape in their early decades. The guide, Steven Finacom, has originated and led or co-led 24 walking tours for the BHSM over the decades.
Accessibility: Primarily on surfaced campus pathways, but some stretches are steep and some outdoor staircases may be used.
Walking Tour Details
$10 for BHSM members, $12 for non-members. Reservations required—sign up by mail with this form or online here.
Tours start at 10:00 a.m. and generally end between 11:30 and 12:00. Sometimes they are slightly longer, so be aware if you park in a two-hour zone. Tours are limited to 30 paying participants unless noted otherwise. Pre-paid reservations are required and tickets are not refundable. Tours are conducted in rain, shine or fog.
Keep a record of your order. E-mail addresses and telephone numbers are very important for confirmations and last-minute changes. You will receive an e-mail or a phone call with each tour’s starting point 2-3 days before the tour.
For last-minute reservations, call 510-848-0181 between 1 and 4 pm on the Thursday or Friday before the tour to learn the meeting place and sign up if there is an opening.
If you have suggestions for future walking tours, please email info@berkhistory.org or leave a message at 510-848-0181.